Seems this was the bike lanes fault 
Vehicle ploughs into pack of riders
By Rhett Watson and Clare Masters
June 15, 2003
TWO cyclists were seriously injured yesterday when a four-wheel-drive vehicle ran into their riding group.
Dave Hornby, 49, and Kevin Congdon, 39, were being operated on last night at St George Hospital.
Fellow cyclists Terry Walton, 52, and his wife Lynda, 48, told The Sunday Telegraph that the group -- known as Billy's Pushies -- was struck at an intersection near the Royal National Park, in Sydney's south.
"I was mid-sentence with Dave and then: Bang, he's gone flying through the air, and so has Kevin," Mrs Walton, of Sutherland, said.
Mr Walton was also injured and for a few moments after the 7.20am accident, his wife thought he was dead.
"I was swerving to miss them. They were all out cold and when you don't see someone move, you think they are dead," she said.
"Terry was perfectly still on his back and already the blood was all over the ground, and their legs were twisted in all different ways."
The driver, who had been returning to his Shellharbour home, south of Wollongong, after night shift, was interviewed by police.
Mrs Walton said she approached the driver as ambulance officers worked to save the injured men. "I went up to him and said 'I'm not going to get up you. We all make mistakes'," she said.
"He'd tried to call his family, but couldn't get anyone. He was alone.
"He kept telling me that he didn't see us and didn't know he had hit us until he looked in the rear vision mirror and saw us everywhere. He kept saying: 'I'm always so careful'."
The stretch of road on Farnell Ave, Loftus, near the entrance to the National Park, is a known black spot for bike riders.
Friend and fellow cyclist Geoff (who did not want his name used) rushed to the scene when he heard of the accident.
He said a protective bike corridor ends abruptly at the point where the group were hit.
"Right where the accident happened, there is no bike lane," he said.
The experienced rider, who used to cycle with the injured men, said the group seemed to have done everything right.
At least two were experienced riders and they rode in formation.
Geoff said the crash may have been averted if the bike lane was extended over the intersection.
"You have to be really switched on, when coming across that section," he said.
Mr Hornby was in a critical condition last night with head, chest and leg injuries, while Mr Congdon's condition was serious.
The 4WD stopped about 100m from the accident. A motorcycle ambulance had been trailing the cyclists and a string of ambulances was quick to arrive.
The accident left Mrs Walton shaken and -- pondering the frequency with which cyclists are struck by cars -- wondering whether she will continue.
Mr Walton, who woke up in an ambulance, remains amazed his two friends were not killed. "We've had a couple of mates killed and they were in the bicycle lanes," he said.
"The bikes are the safest they've ever been, but you can't count for every contingency.
"... the fact they've got bike lanes from Sutherland to Waterfall now is great. Maybe they should see about putting them on the intersection".
